Is ocean desalination a good idea for California?

By Alison Hawkes

03/04/2011

Is ocean-water desalination a good way to solve California’s impending water crisis? Conservationists are pushing back on the idea, saying that technology is harmful to the environment because it can entrap wildlife and create byproducts heavily concentrated with salt and chemicals that would be dumped back into the ocean. Desalination also uses a lot of power. They favor conserving water at the tap. There are now nearly a dozen plans for desal plants in California, including in Marin. [DC Bureau]

Adam Werbach on Libya, $200 oil, and clean energy

By Victoria Schlesinger

03/04/2011

Controversial environmentalist Adam Werbach says that Libyan civil unrest could push oil prices up to $200 a barrel, and that’s a good thing for the adoption of clean energy. Unlike the last time the Americans faced high oil prices (2008), today the U.S. is better positioned to seize green technology research funding, drive electric cars, and build a clean energy infrastructure. [The Atlantic Monthly]

San Bruno gas pipeline had multiple poorly welded seams

By Victoria Schlesinger

03/04/2011

Federal investigations into the PG&E San Bruno gas pipeline explosion found that multiple welded seams were “grotesquely at odds with industry standards and specifications.” PG&E declined to comment on the finding, but yesterday agreed to send notices to customers who live within 2,000 feet of a gas-transmission line. The National Transportation Safety Board hearings also revealed that in the 90s PG&E replaced miles of pipeline in San Bruno, stopping 300 yards short of the explosion site. [San Francisco Chronicle] [San Jose Mercury News]

Recent cold weather may damage locally-grown fruit and raise prices

By Victoria Schlesinger

03/04/2011

Just as many Central Valley fruit trees began to bloom, temperatures dropped last week, potentially harming many fruit and nut trees at a particularly vulnerable time. In particular stone fruit, such as peaches, apricots, and plums are susceptible to frost. But farmers won’t know the extent of the damage until harvest time. Buyers will find out when they look at the prices. [Marin Independent Journal]

The Central Valley’s environmental health legacy in pictures

By Victoria Schlesinger

03/04/2011

One of the most aggressively farmed stretches of land in the world, California’s Central Valley has a long, often unseen history of environmental health problems. Photographs by Tracy Perkins beautifully document the story and are featured in the inaugural issue of Boom: A Journal of California, published by the University of California Press and due out in March. [Boom] [California Watch]

Earth headed toward sixth mass extinction say Berkeley scientists

By Victoria Schlesinger

03/03/2011

If the current rate of extinction continues, Earth will lose some 75 percent of its species in three centuries, according to a new study by U.C. Berkeley scientists published in the journal Nature this week. Mass extinctions, such as the one predicted, have only occurred five times in the Earth’s history. The dinosaur die-off is the best known. [San Jose Mercury News]

Social media integral in GGNRA leash law uprising

By Victoria Schlesinger

03/03/2011

Hundreds of people attended yesterday’s public meeting to discuss proposed stricter leash laws in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. But the dog walkers and dog lovers are also banding together online to fight the changes through two Facebook pages and a new website. Founders of the sites want to encourage more people to comment on the proposed rule changes, which include banning dogs from Muir and South Rodeo beaches. [Marin Independent Journal] [San Francisco Chronicle]

San Mateo cities try to regroup behind high-speed rail

By Victoria Schlesinger

03/03/2011

Cities in San Mateo County that want high-speed rail on the Peninsula are banding together, saying they have more sway as a group. Congressional representatives told city leaders their constant bickering has made them “the laughingstock of Washington D.C.” and that receiving federal money requires cooperation. But signs don’t look good. Many of the cities in the new San Mateo County Rail Corridor Partnership disagree about how rail plans should proceed. [San Jose Mercury News]

Red balloons released over San Francisco end up in Bay

By Victoria Schlesinger

03/03/2011

Rain wasn’t the only thing falling into the Bay yesterday. Some of the 10,000 red balloons released in San Francisco as part of a publicity stunt by a video game company began dropping into the Bay to the disbelief of environmentalists. The company, THQ, said the balloons were meant to simulate part of its warfare game. The EPA, Coast Guard, and city of San Francisco are investigating the incident. [San Francisco Chronicle] [KGO-TV]

Bay View Hunters Point illegal dumpers identified

By Victoria Schlesinger

03/02/2011

Two San Francisco companies have been accused of illegally dumping more than 100 tons of debris around Bay View Hunters Point. The city has filed suit and is seeking $1 million in damages. Both companies deny the charges, but the city says it found identifying information in the rubbish that lead to the business owners. [San Francisco Chronicle]